22-24 February 2019 Paddling the Tumut River with Paul and Fi

Fi and Paul give me a wave

Friday-Sunday 22-24 February: Paddling the Tumut River with Paul and Fi.

Summary

Distance: 24.5km | Climb: -30m | Time: 9.00am – 1.45pm (4hrs 45mins), including 45 mins of breaks | Grading: L/M (paddle); M(10)

Photographs

Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slideshow.

Videos

Waypoint and Track Files

Download the gpx file for this trip (if your browser does not automatically download the file, it will open the gpx file in a new window and you can then save it). To use in Google Earth, do File, Open… and select Gps or All files as the File Type.

Track Notes

Thanks to Greg K, I borrowed his SOT kayak as a fortnight ago. I gotta get me one of these fun boats. Strapped on the town car, I arrived at our meet point in Lawson in good time, but minus a seat. A quick trip to BCF Belconnen and I was suitably equipped – and on my way, equipment wise, for my own SOT.

All set ready to go

A very pleasant trip as a passenger to Tumut, with a couple of stops. Some shopping, then out via the Tumut airport to our booked accommodation at Kookaburra Cottage. I could get used to this glamping!

Kookaburra Cottage

Especially as my Eternity church friends defer to me as the oldest and give me the best room!

The best bedroom in the house

A barbie out on the back lawn under a magnificent gum tree rounded off the day.

An early start on Saturday. We drove into Tumut and met Fi’s boys at the riverside opposite the racecourse. Leaving a car there, we piled in Paul’s car pulling the trailer with 5 boats and drove via the Snowy Mountains Highway and Blowering Dam Access Road to below the dam wall. An old sign points along a footpad down to the river.

Much setting up and away at 9am, launching into a small, quiet backwater. Lovely clear water.

Sorting ourselves out at the launch site below Blowering Dam

Out in the main channel of the river, the water was flowing fast. Who knows how many km/hr, but it carried us along quite quickly. 500m downstream we passed under the Hume and Hovell Walking Track foot bridge.

Hume and Hovell Walking Track bridge

What followed was a very pleasant nearly 5 hours of Tumut River paddling. Magnificent trees by the river, and sequences of quick current, fast and shallow drops and wider pools requiring some paddling effort.

Paddling the Tumut River

Magnificent riverside trees

We had a break every hour or so to stretch our backs.

Our third break after 3 hours

There were plenty of onlookers.

Onlookers

Not being a swimmer, or even particularly liking water, all that I experienced were the inevitable paddle drips. However, one of our party tested the water temperature twice – by full immersion.

At last our pull out point came into view and we maneuvered out of the central current into a quiet eddy to land. A drink and lunch at the nearby Racecourse Cafe whilst the car shuttle was completed.

We returned to our accommodation for a shower and relax. Perhaps lunch didn’t agree with me because, after washing the boats, I had a barf and went to bed. The others enjoyed pizza for tea.

Sunday morning I was fine. We breakfasted and drove into town, first to the ubiquitous Rotary Lookout, then to have a look at the Tumut Railway Station.

Tumut Railway Station

Some great history – they got a little excited when the rail line was opened in 1903, expecting that the area would become the national capital – and signage and the site of a railway foot warmer plant.